Mosaic
by memory's marionette
Summary: [Chapter One: It takes one second and a well-aimed kunai at the boy who made fun of her love for Dickens for her to enter his heart. Neji. Tenten. Fluff] [Chapter Two: Their story starts when she precociously tells him that she's Elizabeth Bennet, and he her Mr Darcy. Sasuke. Sakura. Fluff] [Two-shot]
1. Charles Dickens

A/N: Dedicated to furryraree. Get well soon, darling. C: (Fluff is a miracle cure, after all. ;D)

Summary: He falls for her - hard. And all it takes is one second and a well-aimed kunai at another boy who makes fun of her professed undying love for Dickens. Neji. Tenten. Fluff.

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><p><strong>Mosaic<strong>

_~by purple phantasms_

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><p><strong>I.<strong>

The Five Second Rule states that it only takes that amount of time to fall in love with someone.

Neji wants to say that he follows this rule when he meets her for the first time, but the truth is that it takes only one second and a well-aimed kunai at another boy who makes fun of her professed undying love for Dickens.

_Dickens._

He concludes that she's someone after his own heart, and he falls for her — hard.

**II.**

When Tenten sees him at the playground that she frequents often, she's in a bad mood: the pale-yellow ribbons her mother had given her — her absolute favourites — had been missing since yesterday.

She stares at the unknown boy in front of her with her doe-like eyes as he wordlessly places her ribbons into her lap and walks off. He goes home and collapses into bed, because his eyes aren't used to so much strain at a young age and searching all over for hair accessories has tired him out.

Tenten doesn't know his name, but she never forgets him or his opalescent eyes.

It's not that she can't; it's just that she won't.

**III.**

They meet again on their first day at the academy.

The teacher makes everyone introduce themselves at the front of the class, and Tenten tunes out most of the others but is fixated when it's his turn. He mumbles his name quietly and a whole throng of girls sitting at the back complain that they didn't catch it, but she hears it loud and clear.

He returns to his seat, and momentarily, their gazes lock. Silently, she mouths his name to herself again and again.

Somehow, she knows that she'll be seeing him a lot more after this.

**IV.**

Due to some troublemakers in their class, the teacher, Iruka-sensei, rearranges the seating plan. He leaves both Neji and Tenten in the same spot, though, because it just doesn't feel right otherwise.

Iruka will never admit it, but truthfully, their glaring at him when he announced his plan swayed his judgment.

**V.**

Unfortunately for Neji, he has a club chock-full of admirers, many of whom get out of hand and pester him incessantly. Sometimes he takes action and scares them off (though it does little to help, since they come back in larger numbers than before — a fact that he finds very disturbing); other times, Tenten does it for him, insisting that it's only because they bother her too.

Both are aware that a small part of her is lying, however.

**VI.**

Exams come and go, and soon, it's time for them to graduate. He's ranked first in class and is titled a genius and a prodigy. She's not far behind in second place, but no one praises her much, even though she's extremely skilled with weapons for someone her age.

He thinks that everyone else is a blind idiot and curses them. She only laughs and hugs him in gratitude when he tells her so.

Neji is as stoic as ever when this happens, but he doesn't forget to thank the blind idiots in his mind when the warmth of her embrace encapsulates him for days after.

**VII.**

She's on Neji's team, along with a carbon copy of their overenthusiastic green-spandex wearing teacher. They're basically left to their own devices, since their sensei is too busy with Lee.

Considering that they get to spend time together, neither of them minds at all.

**VIII.**

They meet at five 'o clock in the morning on Monday for training. (Later on in life, 'training' will become a term that's interchangeable with 'date'.)

It's their first sparring match, and both get a taste of each other's battle styles.

She has a little habit of hopping on her right foot before she casts a jutsu, and her techniques aren't exactly normal either. In short, Neji finds her a bit unusual; at the very least, more so than him.

Tenten just snorts in response. "So says the person that perpetually pokes people at painful points."

He can't argue with that.

**IX.**

At first, Tenten thinks that the two Green Beasts of Konoha are completely deranged, but they become endearing to her after a while.

When she notifies Neji of this fact, he only looks blankly at her as though she's now stark-raving mad too.

She shrugs, smiling. "But you do like them — and me — anyway, right?"

He vehemently denies the former, albeit he can't help but agree wholeheartedly on the latter.

**VIII.**

They first meet their supposed rivals (according to Gai-sensei, at least) during the Chuunin Exams. Tenten's slightly enamoured of the Uchiha boy and thinks he's cute.

She never tells Neji this little nugget of information — or the fact that she thinks he's cuter than the Uchiha by infinity and beyond.

**IX.**

The Forest of Death is no challenge for them, since they're seasoned ninjas, and their team completes the task on the first day itself and makes their way to the designated destination.

It's early in the morning on the next day, and she's leaning against him with her head on his shoulder. She had told him that she was cold and that it was fundamental that they conserve heat, but, really, she only wants stay close to him. They wake up to find their teammate missing and innately know that he's probably off causing a commotion somewhere.

Though they've learned to appreciate Lee, both let out deep sighs of frustration inwardly: they'd have liked to stay in that position for just a while longer.

**X.**

They bicker for the first time while Tenten's in the hospital, having been admitted after her battle with the female Sand nin.

Although Neji is worried sick, he does little to show it; he has never been good with wearing his heart on his sleeve or emoting as a whole. And when he voices out his concern, it comes out like a caustic remark.

She cannot believe her ears when he expresses, "This wouldn't have happened if you were stronger." His arms are crossed over his chest as he continues, "You're too weak."

He means to add that he wants to protect her, but no sound emanates from his lips.

The air is thick with tension as she stares at him with chestnut-brown eyes full of hurt, because that's the one thing that she just cannot bear to hear and to have it come from him just sends a knife right through her heart. Tenten turns onto her left side, facing the wall.

She refuses to see him for a week.

And he never feels as alone as he does then.

**XI.**

It takes a few days for him to swallow his pride and apologize for the first time in his life, but he manages to do it for _her_.

She still thinks that he's a bit of a prat for saying that, but knows that though he's brilliant in many aspects, he's not exactly phenomenal in the EQ department. And truthfully, she's missed him for the past week or so.

Life is lonely without her genius.

". . . I'm sorry," he tells her quietly.

She forgives him.

**XII.**

His match with Naruto is just around the corner, and she helps him train by throwing barrage after barrage of weapons at him.

As he spins and deflects her offensive attack, she marvels at him; although she was sure that she was out of breath after expending all that energy, it still manages to hitch in her throat.

He looks imploringly at her once he stops, and his eyes ask her what exactly it is that she's staring at.

"Nothing," she says finally, but what she really means is _everything_.

**XIII.**

Neji doesn't win his match, but she knows that he came out of it a winner.

He seems so much more at peace now and even starts talking a bit more, which leaves others gobsmacked because they didn't think that he actually spoke other than to ramble about fate.

It's something that she finds particularly odd, because she always did think that he talked too much.

**XIV.**

She sees him off at the gate of the village when he's assigned a mission to bring the Uchiha kid back. An ominous feeling settles in the pit of Tenten's stomach, and she's in ruins on the inside because she knows that there's a chance he won't come back.

"Don't die on me," she manages to choke out before he leaves. He says nothing in return, prompting her to hold out her pinky finger. "Promise?"

It's so childish —

— but he promises anyway.

"Three days from now," she tells him solemnly, "we'll start training. Same time, same place." She adds, "Don't be late."

He's silent once more, but his unspoken words ring through the air.

"I won't."

**XV.**

He's late.

By two whole days.

She loses a bit of weight although it's only been a couple of days and her eyes are bloodshot; her under-eye bags and dark circles also become increasingly obvious. It's because she's so worried, to the point where she's unable to sleep and spends days feeling like a nervous wreck as she awaits news of his return.

And he does come back, but bruised, battered and broken. She's not one to cry, but she breaks out into sobs when she sees the gaping hole in his chest and God only knows what else as he lies on the brink of death.

Tenten is there throughout his two day-long operation, and it feels like the weight of the world has been taken off her shoulders when the doctor finally tells her that he'll make it.

He's still alive—

— and so is _she_.

**XVI.**

It's a while before he wakes up from his near-comatose state.

The sight that greets him is one of her with her hair out of their customary two buns, tumbling down her shoulders, and her gaunt, tired face.

Neji wonders whether she's been by his side the whole time. The nurse denies it, citing that visiting hours are strict, but he knows better.

When he is finally discharged from the hospital, she is the one to take him home and stay with him for days straight until he feels completely rejuvenated. Tenten is very much aware that Neji is not a man of many words; it's very the reason why she's so startled when he thanks her.

She brushes it off, telling him that it was nothing much and that she'd do the same for the other members of their team, but honestly, she does — and will do — more for him than anyone else.

**XVII.**

They grow up, becoming more skilled as time passes and helping each other hone their abilities as they have always done.

It's a sunny day, and the clear sky made up of amalgamating blue hues hangs cheerily above them. She grins at him and states the obvious: "We make a good team."

He concurs wordlessly as he always does when he agrees with her, and ponders on when their partnership will come to include matters of the heart.

As it turns out, it's not soon before long — and it's something that they're both grateful for, because it was getting hard to concentrate on anything else when they just wanted to take each others' hands and _go_.

**XVIII.**

The aforementioned turning point of their relationship takes place when her mother introduces Tenten to a 'lovely, young gentleman'. Her mother doesn't say anything more, but her tone heavily implies thoughts of a future romantic relationship between the two.

The other boy has stormy, grey eyes and copper-brown hair; he's also considered to be gorgeous by the female population.

The boy holds out his hand in greeting and annunciates, "Nice to meet you."

Neji can't say the same.

**XIX.**

He finds out that the other boy has a name, and it's one that he considers stupid because which sane parent would name their son Kurosawa Ryuu?

It's just one more factor that convinces Neji that they're meant to be, because in all honesty, Hyuuga Tenten has a much nicer ring to it.

She agrees.

**XX.**

It's about an hour before Ryuu and Tenten's first date when Neji storms up to her front door and notifies her that he's sort of-kind of-almost-completely-definitely in love with her.

She beams and cancels the date instantly, while her mother smirks knowingly in the kitchen.

The plan worked out, after all.

**XXI.**

The two of them go to great lengths to keep their relationship a secret; it's something that the rest of the village doesn't fathom, because they knew that romance was imminent for the two of them.

Konoha's population only wonders what took so darn long.

**XXII.**

The worst is when their (dense) teammate finally figures out that they're dating, having stumbled upon them while they were training in a more _romantic_ sense. The lunatic starts screaming about the Springtime of Youth, and soon, their sensei joins in with tears streaming down his face.

They both creep away silently to enjoy their Springtime of Youth elsewhere.

**XXIII.**

Tenten's very much aware that Neji's never been good at romantic gestures, and his proposal a few years later only cements this statement.

He attaches the ring to the end of a kunai that's engraved with her name and sends it whizzing by, narrowly missing her head in the process, thanks to his terrible aim.

She appreciates the effort, but muses on why he couldn't ask her to marry him_ without _trying to kill her.

**XXIV.**

He proposes to her again, because even though she's not bothered by his (terrible) first attempt, others are disgruntled and nag at him to do it right. So he drops onto one knee with a bouquet of chrysanthemums — her favourite — in his hand and a faint blush colouring his ears.

Neji's obviously embarrassed, but Tenten finds it completely adorable and touching that he's blushing because of her.

She says yes for the second time (and for many more times after that), and when he's not looking, she takes a picture of him for memories — and future blackmail.

**XXV.**

Their friends come out in droves for their wedding which is a cause célèbre. Though she complains that she can't breathe in her dress and he's quaking in his boots on the inside, it all goes off without a hitch.

The priest utters the words "'til death do us part", and they happily repeat after him.

They both know, however, that their story is one that will last long after that.

**XXVI.**

When she gives birth to their first child, the boy looks a lot like his father.

Neji is beyond pleased and happily mutters, "He's so handsome."

Tenten's still in a bit of pain, but she has enough strength left in her to roll her eyes at her husband. With any luck, the new addition to their family won't be as egotistical as his daddy. Honestly, though, she knows that it'll never happen and makes plans to order more mirrors for their home.

But she doesn't really want it any other way.

**XXVII.**

Their daughter comes five years later and she's the spitting image of her mother. Tenten gushes at the thought of having her own mini me, but Neji isn't too happy and gripes a little every time people mention how beautiful his daughter is.

It appears that his years of chasing away the male admirers of his loved ones weren't quite over yet.

**XXVIII.**

They grow old together, acquiring countless memories through it all.

He ceased saying a particular word often years ago, because in his opinion, their relationship is the only thing that warrants its usage.

There is no other way to describe them.

They are _fate_.

**XXIX.**

They are well into their twilight years when kismet decrees that she'll be the first one of them to go.

Neji doesn't want to sound like a complete sop but he really doesn't have a clue on how life will go on after her passing. He tells her so as he sits by her side, their fingers interlocked.

She states softly, "You'll learn." A knowing smile graces her tired face. "You're my genius, remember?"

**XXX.**

They don't believe in the Isles of Blest or reincarnation or what-have-you, but somehow, they know perfectly well that they will meet again.

And when she dies in his arms hours later, she tells him confidently that she'll be waiting for him. He holds out his little finger to make her swear on it.

She laughs, because it's so childish —

— but she does it anyway.

**XXXI.**

Neji joins her after what feels like eons, although it has only been three years at most.

And when he sees her for the first time again, it does not take one second or a well-aimed kunai at a boy who made fun of her professed love for Dickens to make him fall in love with her.

The truth is that it takes nothing at all.

_Because when he fell for her — hard — so long ago, it was for forever and always._

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><p>AN: This started out when I wrote the first prompt, but quickly snowballed into this huge pile of fluff after that.

I usually don't ask, but I'd like to know what you guys think, since this is my first Naruto fic in almost a year or so, if I'm not mistaken. So, review, please? :)


	2. Pride and Prejudice

A/N: For Furryraree. I hope you like it, though do keep the warning I gave you in my email in mind.

Summary: And their story starts when she precociously tells him that she's Elizabeth Bennet and he's her Mr Darcy. Sasuke. Sakura. Fluff.

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><p><strong>Mosaic<strong>

_~ by purple phantasms_

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><p>I.<p>

In kindergarten, he's notorious for being the type that has a personal-space bubble measuring at least half a foot in radius. As such, no one is allowed to sit next to him — that is, until Sakura comes along.

Her viridian eyes are bright and lively as she stares imploringly at Sasuke to move his bag that occupies the only free chair in the small classroom. Nothing happens for a while, and their frustrated teacher is just about to pull up another chair for the new student as she's done countless times before.

There's no need to, however, because the young girl practically shoves Sasuke's bag away and plops into the seat. The teacher waits with bated breath, knowing that something big is about to happen.

And it does, but it's not what the teacher expects, for Sasuke allows the new girl to sit beside him. Everyone else just stares, dumbfounded; they don't understand what had just happened, leading some to wonder whether there's some sort of secret convoluted backstory.

There's no such thing, and the reason is simple, really: the right person is finally here.

He has found her.

II.

After a while, it becomes clear to him that Sakura talks quite a bit: she's no Chatty Cathy or incessant blabbermouth, but she does ramble on and on about fate and happy endings many times.

It's okay, though, because he's willing to listen — forever.

III.

They're both six-years-old when she comes into class holding a book entitled Pride and Prejudice; she happily tells him that she's gotten through two chapters already and that she'd like to be Elizabeth Bennet, with him as Mr Darcy. Others think that she's a show-off for bringing something that thick to read when the rest of them have just finished Peter and Jane.

Sasuke thinks that she's a precocious, smart bookworm — and, not to mention, adorable.

He never tells her any of this, however, because he's still not very good at controlling his blush.

IV.

A few years pass and she suffers from her first bout of low self-esteem when a pudgy boy in class dubs her 'Huge Forehead'.

She's crying under her favourite oak tree, and he wants so much to be able to comfort her and stop the waterworks that hurt him too, but he's terribly inept when it comes to comforting people.

The Yamanaka girl isn't, however, and persuades Sakura to be proud of it. Sasuke can tell that Sakura's still a bit unsure of herself, so he slips her an anonymous note in her locker one day.

_My mother has a huge forehead, and I think she's beautiful._

There are three more words that have been written in his neat print and though they've been scratched out multiple times, it's still visible.

_So are you._

V.

He wanders about aimlessly at the mass funeral for his clan, and she trails after him from a distance as she watches him tune out the rest of the world.

He's empty —

— and a small part of her dies, too.

VI.

Sasuke doesn't believe in God, but he feels like such a desperate mess that he thinks that now's a good time to start. He knows that Sakura is following him when he makes his way to the sole church in the village, but he's so tired right now that he doesn't care if anyone sees him bawling his eyes out.

Soon, he's on his knees and muttering prayers; his soft, broken voice echoes throughout the church.

In tears, he prays for his family.

It breaks her heart, and she rushes over to kneel beside him.

In tears, she prays for him.

(And someday, it will all come full circle.)

VII.

He goes through the same routine daily and tries his hardest to recreate life before his whole family was murdered; one of the first things he does is to find omurice that is as great as his deceased mother's, because his simply isn't up to par no matter how much he tries.

Seeing this, Sakura pesters her own mother to teach her how to cook this dish and presents him with her own rendition a few days later.

It doesn't taste the same, but it's delicious in its own way.

Because it's not a substitute, but an _addition_.

VIII.

When the first anniversary of his clan's massacre rolls around, she accompanies him to the burial site and watches as he lays flowers on each tombstone.

He is rooted to the spot as he stares at the graves, and she wishes that she could help him or say something but she doesn't know how. So she slips her hand into his instead. Her fingers are warm in the cold autumn chill, and their eyes meet for one second.

The world is silent in that moment, but her unspoken words reverberate through the air:

"_I'm here." _

IX.

She's got a schoolgirl crush on him and adds the suffix '-kun' to his name. No one can tell, but he's very pleased.

(And soon enough, he'll be even more pleased when he realizes that it's _love_.)

X.

They're in the Land of Waves when they have what he classifies as their first _real_ training session; Sakura aces it on her first try, upstaging both Sasuke and Naruto, as well as impressing Kakashi-sensei.

She wishes that her teacher would stop yapping on how Sasuke's clan isn't all that, because he may very well start to hate her, in her opinion.

He doesn't, of course – and never will – though he's fuming slightly on the inside because he's disappointed in himself. Mostly, however, he's pleased that she's able to effortlessly repeat her feat.

He chose well.

XI.

They're in the Forest of Death during the second stage of the Chuunin exams; she receives a multitude of merciless beatings by the ninja squad from the Land of Sound. He sees red as blood trickles down her forehead in all of its viscous, vermillion glory.

His temper is not easily ignited, but he flies off the handle instantly when the perpetrator smugly admits to hurting her.

Sasuke is blind with rage.

Black tribal-looking marks swarm over every inch of his skin, and power surges through his veins. He attacks and is about to break off the boy's arm when Sakura embraces him from behind, begging and pleading with him to stop.

He is blind –

– but for her, he tries to see.

Slowly, he reverts to his normal self.

(She is his anchor to humanity.)

XII.

He makes her cry again when he tells her that she shouldn't poke her nose into his affairs. Sasuke wonders when he became such a monster, and the promise he once made to himself as a child echoes faintly in his ears.

"_I'll never hurt you."_

XIII.

Months have passed, and he decides to leave the village in a bid to become stronger, to hone his skills and to kill his brother.

"Take me with you," she asks of him softly, before she pours her heart out to him in a bid to plead her case.

He wishes that she wouldn't ask because, honestly, he's tired of being alone. He just can't though, because he's about to go down a dark, dark path and he can't let her be affected. And if this is to be the last time he sees her for many years, he'll be damned if he can't protect her now.

Tears stream down her face, and Sasuke wishes that she wouldn't do that either.

Because her tears don't just cloud her vision, but his too.

"You're annoying," he tells her finally, because she's making him feel in all the ways he shouldn't; so he decides to knock her unconscious, but before he does he says, "Thank you."

_For everything._

Before he leaves, he moves her onto a park bench and brushes his lips against her (huge) forehead.

Their story isn't over yet.

This isn't the end.

XIV.

When Naruto returns with bad news from his mission to retrieve Sasuke, Sakura accepts it with a strength that many didn't think she had in her.

She trains for long, hard hours and is determined to bring him back kicking and screaming from the path of self-destruction if she has to.

She will find him.

XV.

They meet again after what seems like eons, though it has only been two years at most.

Leaves swirl around them as they gaze at each other for what seems like eternity. She breaks the pregnant pause in the air, tears brimming in her eyes and a small grimace adorning her face.

Her voice breaks as she remarks, "I found you."

Truthfully, however, she doesn't even know whom it is that she has found, because the person standing in front of her is barely recognizable.

Sasuke is just not the same.

It's all right, however, because she loves him anyway –

– past, present and future.

XVI.

The next time they meet, he lifts a sword to her throat and hopes to the high heavens that she'll finally understand that he can't have her here; she needs to go home and forget about him and have a happily-ever-after with someone else.

Because he knows perfectly well that he just won't be able to provide that for her.

Someone's here to save her – he doesn't know who it is because he is only transfixed with the notion of her safety – and he lets them go without putting up much of a fight. In his heart, he prays for her to be safe, to be happy and to find another Mr Darcy.

But as Sasuke watches her be dragged away, he catches the glint of determination in Sakura's eyes and it lingers in his mind.

"_I'll never leave you."_

XVII.

The Uchiha compound is dark, lonely and cold when he finally returns after years away; he sighs, coming home to an empty home once more.

Except that it's not as empty as he thinks it is, for there lay a single plate of food on his dining table.

Sasuke warily takes a closer look and realizes with a start that it's omurice.

_Sakura's _omurice.

On it is scribbled two small words in ketchup that echo throughout the house – and his heart.

"_Welcome home."_

And the world feels that much warmer.

XVIII.

For the first month or so, no one bothers to smile or talk to him, or make eye contact with him even.

No one, that is, other than her.

And then he realizes that is all that he really needs.

XIX.

She works the hospital shift while he is under probation, and chides him when he comes to see her with a new injury every day. Sakura's quite sure that she's healed at least two hundred of his kitty scratches, papercuts and stubbed toes.

Sasuke never does get around to telling her that it's all done on purpose.

XX.

It takes a while, but finally, they both confess that they do hold feelings of adulation for the other; eventually, they do announce it to the world, but no one's surprised at all, to be honest.

It's been the village's worst kept secret for ages.

XXI.

They're playing bridesmaid and best man for Neji and Tenten's wedding when she looks to him from across the altar. Her grin says it all.

"_This will be us one day."_

He cracks a small smile.

He likes that idea.

XXII.

That day comes soon enough, and she's practically grinning from ear-to-ear as they say their vows.

To them, it's merely an official celebration, because truth be told, they were already married to begin with a long, long time ago.

XXIII.

Three years pass before they welcome their first child into the world. The boy has the green eyes of his mother and his father's jet-black hair. It's a beautiful combination; one that he sighs in relief at.

Sasuke loves his wife's pink locks, but honestly, the colour just wouldn't look good on a male.

XXIV.

When their first (and last) baby girl comes, she has the brightest viridian eyes that sparkle like the clear ocean and the biggest forehead that Sasuke's ever seen.

An ominous feeling settles in the pit of his stomach as he watches numerous people coo over their daughter.

He curses, finally understanding what Neji was talking about.

XXV.

He's having a terrible day when he snaps at her and tells her bluntly that he doesn't need her here; Sasuke regrets the words before they even leave his mouth.

Sakura just stares at him pensively for a moment and says dismissively, "I'm here for you whether you need me or not."

He wonders what he did in a past life to deserve someone like her as his wife.

XXVI.

She's Elizabeth Bennet, and he's Mr Darcy. Sasuke doesn't think that he's ever going to have a British accent or sideburns; in fact, the only thing they've in common is the line 'I cannot fix on the hour, or the look, or the words which laid the foundation…'.

Sakura's all right with the idea of not following her favourite characters' footsteps, though.

Their romance is a lot more magical, in her opinion.

XXVII.

They're getting on with their ages, and it's obvious that he'll be the first of the two to pass on, but not before his memories are claimed due to Alzheimer's disease. Sakura watches on as her husband slowly loses grasp of everything he knows.

The years before his death are painful, because she wants so much to help, to ease his pain, but she just can't.

There is no cure.

So she stays by his side perpetually, until he finally takes his last breath. His eyes, once so powerful and vivid with strength, look to her with weariness.

"Wait for me," she asks of him in a paper-thin voice. "Please."

He doesn't know why, but somehow he knows that this feels like déjàvu. A flicker of recognition crosses his blood-red irises, and Sasuke manages to give her one last smirk. "You're annoying," he tells her softly, as he uses his remaining strength to reach for her hand and stroke it gently. "Thank you."

Her hearts screams in the face of this farewell, and a solitary tear falls from her left eye. He gazes at her in his final moment, and an unspoken promise reverberates through the air.

"_I'll find you."_

XXVIII.

Years pass before she's finally able to see him again. Throngs of strangers block her way, and she feels lost as she scans the crowds milling about for any sign of him.

It takes more than a few moments for her to spot him, but the wait is worthwhile, because when they meet, it is like life is starting all over again.

He has never been one to grin much, but his lips can't help but curve into a smile.

"_I found you."_

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><p>AN: Err, I haven't read the series in a long time, so do excuse me if I made some mistakes with timing and whatnot. This was a lot harder to write, because I didn't particularly like Sakura much at the very beginning, though she did grow on me soon. And fluff is hard when these two are basically the poster children of (romantic) angst in the story. I hope I did okay. And do forgive me if there are technical errors, since I only went through this once. ^^;


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